Sacrifice is Bae š
"Peter said to him, 'We have left all we had to follow you!''Truly I tell you,' Jesus said to them, 'no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.'ā
- Luke 18:28-30 (New International Version)
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Last week I encouraged you to make what you want workĀ and, as empowering as that message is, I wanted to follow up with some hard realities that may come with doing that. For example, after deciding not to continue my coaching program (which is NOT what I want) late last year, I've had to:Ā
- rent out my 2nd bedroom in my condo to a roommate to help cover bills while I manage this transition
- stay at home & not go out to eat as much (I mean Covid has played a role in this too but still š)
- wrestle with recurring feelings of fear, sadness & not enjoying my life cuz I haven't been able to afford my desired lifestyle
- depend on God for provision (yāall just the other day a colleague of mine sent me $2k out the blue, I am not lying God is a provider. And it was part of the harvest on a seed I sowed in December, seeds be multiplying yāall!)
Ā
And I'm sure there's more that I'm forgetting but you get the picture: following the thing you want may not come with IMMEDIATE monetary benefits and you may need to accept that. But ohhhh the emotional benefits! I can tell you that I feel so aligned and so joyful moving in the direction Iām moving, not being burdened by work on an offer I donāt even want to pursue and being all in on what I do desire. Itās a great feeling and I know the sacrifice is temporary. And itās worth it.
Which speaks to what Jesus said to His followers in this week's scripture about the rewards of following Him. Sure enough, He was talking about following Him and not your dreams in this passage, but the sentiment is still appropriate. There's a reason the thing you want is what you want. God created you a certain way and for certain purposes that start to "sing" within you as you walk closer to them, Marco Polo style lol. That thing you feel most aligned about is God's purpose alarm system in you, leading you into the work He created you for. So following it, in a sense, IS following Him. Because it's He who is working in you both to will & to do of His good pleasure (Phil 2:13).
So gon' head and be led! And trust that you can do these hard thingsāmake these sacrificesāand still get through to the other side where your wealthy place is. Jesus said there is a manifold reward for following Him. That means you can't lose š
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Still hungry? Eat some more //
- Proverbs 14:23 ā There is profit in ALL your work. Keep going!
- Psalm 128:1-2 ā Just go ahead and bask in this good blessing. You WILL eat the fruit of your labor! Blessing & prosperity WILL be yours! (and it already is!)